Gohonzon

GOHONZON
By Reverend Raidou Hirota

Translated and edited by Udumbara Foundation staff.

This is NOT an official site of
the Nichiren Shoshu Shoshin-kai

Gohonzon is a piece of rice paper. The Law, however, is not paper. When you look at the front of Gohonzon you see the characters of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, if you turn Gohonzon over and view its backside, you don't see the written Law. The Law is neither the front nor the back of Gohonzon; the Law is Myoho-renge-kyo. But you can't see it. You can't point to it, or identify it and say there is Myoho-renge-kyo. Myoho-renge-kyo is a power that exists. The most approximate physicl entity that describes Myoho-renge-kyo is Gohonzon..

What is Gohonzon? The Hoben (second) and Juyro (sixteenth) chapters of the Lotus Sutra are explained on the Gohonzon. Gohonzon is the mirror of your life. When you look at a mirror you think you are looking at yourself, but it is only an image of your physical self that you are looking at. You can't see inside yourself -- your thoughts, your spiritual aspect. Gohonzon is the mirror of your heart--the mirror of your life. You need a mirror so that you know what you look like in your heart.

It is believed that there are only 128 extant Gohonzons inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin. Yet, there could be more since Daishonin conferred a Gohonzon to each of the five elder priests (goroso) who were disciples of Nichiren Daishonin while he was alive, but who abandoned the orthodox teaching after His death, each going his separate way and establishing his own sect of Nichiren Buddhism. So the whereabouts of their Gohonzons is unknown.

Early Gohonzons

Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the first Gohozons at about the time of the Tatsunokuchi persecution. These are very simple Gohonzons. They consist of "Namu-myoho-renge-kyo-Nichiren"; written down the center, and six protective forces of Buddhism (shoten zenjin) situated in specific locations: To the left of the Law, written in Sanskrit, is "Aizen-myo-o" (a god who governs man's worldly desires, indicating that worldly desires can be transformed into enlightenment); and to the right of the Law, also in Sanskrit, is "Fudo-myo-o" (a god who was born a slave to take on the burdens of all beings and to destroy evil in the world, indicating that birth, old age, sickness and death can be transformed into nirvana). In the four corners of the Gohonzon, representing the directions of the compass, are inscribed the Four Heavenly Kings. In the upper right corner, Daijikokuten (whose function is to protect the world) protects the East. In the lower right corner, Daikomokuten (whose function is to see through evil and punish those who commit evil) protects the West. In the upper left corner, protecting the North is Daibishamonten (who listens to the sutras and protects the place of practice). And in the lower left corner, protecting the South, is Daizochoten (who relieves people of their sufferings).

To conclude, unlike on earth where, if you travel east you will go on until you arrive where you started, in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism if you travel east you will go on forever. Thus Gohonzon represents all physical and spiritual phenomena in the universe, across the three time periods of past, present and future.

You must realize that your life is also included in the universe. The Gohonzon is a small scroll that represents ichinen sanzen (everything). At the center of Gohonzon is the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo. It is this Law which governs everything including the protective forces of Buddhism (shoten zenjin). Because Namu-myoho-renge-kyo encompasses everything, including yourself, you are not searching for Buddha or a god outside yourself. You must realize that you have Buddha-nature within you, and Buddha-nature is one of the elements within ichinen sanzen.

The most significant aspect of Gohonzon is "Namu-myoho-renge-kyo-Nichiren". Everything else is secondary. Please remember that the Gohonzon must be handled with the same care you confer to yourself.

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